I recently finished my first Ironman 70.3 and thought I would share my experience as well as a few tips. This may help anyone thinking of getting into triathlons, especially first timers!
For those that don’t know what an Ironman 70.3 (or Half Ironman) is, it comprises a 1.9km open water swim, a 90km bike and a 21.1km run (half marathon distance) to finish. I thought it was important to set goals early on. Having a plan ‘a’ and plan ‘b’ goal. It is so hard to know how you’ll perform on the day, especially when it is your first event.
The journey for myself and my partner Millie (who also competed in the half Ironman) started around 6 months ago. Millie did not own a road bike and I was out of breath after swimming 50m in the pool. We prioritised consistency in the training we did, slowly building up our fitness in each of the disciplines. Slow progression is especially important to avoid those pesky overuse injuries that can inevitably pop up. It is also why setting a good training plan is crucial to ensure you have enough time to build up your fitness.
Our week to week training started at around 4 hours. We built up to 11-12 hours 2-3 weeks before tapering prior to the race. In these later weeks it can be particularly hard to keep the motivation up. It is okay to miss the occasional training session if you’re not feeling it that day, especially if you have a niggle that you may need to rest.
Swim
The swim training was the most difficult for me as it was my weakest discipline by far. The common thought around the swim leg is that it takes up the least amount of time in the event, therefore you don’t need to prioritise as much time on it. Whilst this is true to some degree, I felt my confidence grow week to week with consistently going to the pool 3 times per week. This helped me work on endurance, speed and also technique.
Open water swimming is also super important as it is a different beast. Try to attend small swim or tri events to practice being in the water with bodies around you and also to practice sighting the buoys.
Bike
The bike was my favourite leg of the event and initially my favourite to train for. This is the discipline that you will inevitably put the most hours into. It will take up over half of the race time on the day. Because of this it is important that you are comfortable on the saddle. If you get saddle pain within the first hour it’s going to be a long day! I recommend getting a bike fit if possible (something I didn’t do and definitely regret). This will help with comfort and also efficiency on the bike. A high percentage of athletes also use aero bars, and although it helps reduce air resistance and theoretically makes you faster, if you aren’t comfortable on them you won’t use them. I didn’t have any and had no problems at all keeping up with a lot of them! I trained 2-3 times per week on the bike. This included one long bike, one interval session using an indoor trainer and another bike where I would run after.
Run
The run, the final task to get you to the finish line! It may feel deflating to think that you still need to run a half marathon but you’re well over half way! My main endurance background was running so I had some confidence in myself for this leg. Running is the most important discipline to pace yourself and slowly increase your mileage during training. Injuries such as ITB syndrome and achilles tendinopathies are common in runners and are indicators of overuse, weakness and/or tightness. Introducing a strength session even once per week is a good way of avoiding injuries whilst still progressing your running.
I initially ran twice per week but increased that to three when I felt comfortable. These sessions consisted of a long run, an interval run and a run after biking. During the race itself, the run will be where the heat gets to you. Be sure to incorporate some heat training (running with extra layers, hopping into saunas post exercise) if you know your event is warmer than where you are training.
Nutrition
Nutrition, the fourth discipline in an Ironman triathlon. It is so important to get as much carbohydrates as your body can manage during the event. This will keep you going for longer. I received the advice early to aim for up to 100g of carbs per hour on the bike if I could and then get up to 50g per hour on the run. Sodium is also very important especially in warm weather so aiming for 500mg and up on the bike and 150mg on the run is a good target. With nutrition it is crucial to always practice with what you’re planning on using on the day. I slowly built up from 70g of carbs and felt good at 100g so that is what I used on the day. This may not be the same for everyone, but it is always good to see what your body can manage.
Also consider trying caffeine during practice. If your gut doesn’t like it I wouldn’t recommend using it on the day as this can cause big gut problems that you do not want to deal with. Nutrition and general diet is also key during your training and lead up to the event. Because you’re burning so many calories during exercise you need to make sure you are fuelling enough to maintain your weight and aid in recovery. This is something I struggled with and admittedly lost a few kgs. If it is something you think you will struggle with it could be a good idea to see a dietician to get a plan!
I hope this gave you some insights into what it is like to train for an event like the half Ironman. It definitely takes motivation and discipline to get over the finish line. I encourage anyone who is thinking about it to take the leap. There is no better feeling than running down that finish chute!
Mitch Crooks
Physiotherapist and mid-pack athlete